Day 48: Whilst exploring this new world I've ended up in, I cycled past a small gap between houses…read moreon the back streets behind Mass Ave. This gap has some strange features and a sign saying "Franklin Secret Park". I will have to return soon to explore more. ======== Day 151: That weird secret park I saw all those months ago has popped back into my mind, I'll have to return soon to discover the secret - but I'll never reveal it on Yelp. Never. Secret is a secret. ======== Day 623: THE SECRET PARK! I totally forgot and here it is next to me on my random walk. It must be fate. Ok - time to explore. Hmm... it seems it's taking the place of a missing house. Why was no house here? What happened? Does this ground possess weird magnetic forces? Franklin - Ben Franklin - Electricity... it would make sense! All around me are strange cultural symbols with semi-Asian themes and possible imagery like gateways into another world perhaps. Yin-Yang? Karma? This all must mean something big. This secret park must be more than a park - in fact, it's not much of a park at all - where are the flowers? where is this grass? It's just a strange empty space with concrete, bushes, benches and symbolism. I move further into the park. I think I'm nearing the deepest point. I feel danger, apprehension and curiosity. What's this? A giant metal dome surfacing through a thin layer of grass! Could it be... is it... A HATCH?! I skirt around looking for clues. How do I open the hatch? What's inside? What are these strange markings etched here? Numbers? 23, 42? Button? End of the world? Magnetic forces that will move Cambridge into a new dimension? So many questions! Am I being watched by a smoke-monster? Oh no, it's just a cat. Diary... it was too much. I fled in terror but plan to return with assistance to break the dome with 18th century TNT (even though it wasn't invented then). Then I'll climb in and have pancakes with a strange Scottish guy who keeps calling me brother. We'll save the world together. ======== Day 623 + 42 hours Shit, the sign says Franklin STREET Park. Ok, that's not that interesting after all. Ooops.

This is just a cute little park on Franklin Street near my house. I reccomend walking down…read moreFranklin Street in general- it runs from Central Sq. off of Pleasant (off of Mass. Ave.) towards Harvard Sq. It's a really cute street with some interesting architecture, including a fence with neat cut outs and metal bars, a house with Frank Ghery type windows and the Franklin Street Park. The park is small but unique. The "grass" is astroturf and there is a random metal silver dome, poking out of the ground, which you can walk on or lie on- just cool. There is also a sprinkler area where you can push a button and a sprinkler comes on to cool you off! This is presumably for children but I like to play. Finally there are picnic tables where you can enjoy a chat, card game or lunch. Enjoy!

Low key tucked away park and playground…read more Gated with latch, playground for toddlers and elementary aged kids. Three water features for kids and a fountain. No restrooms.

This is actually a really nice little park. Big lawn for soccer games, decent sized baseball…read morefield, two basketball courts, a separate paved area for roller hockey or doing bmx bike tricks, and a fun little play-structure area means there's something to do for everyone. I really enjoy coming here wednesdays after work and shooting hoops with my co-workers. It's a good crowd of people, a good mix of young adults, kids, and professionals unwinding after work or on weekends. You wouldn't really expect it in the middle of all of the warehouses and biotech companies.

OK... It's done. And not so bad, really. Seems like there's some kind of lighting effect…read moreinstallation going in, but otherwise it is all clean and neat and finished. Strangely the CSq vagrant population has not begun using it yet. In fact is seems to repel them (us). I attribute this to its shiny-ness. Also the proximity to the fire station with frequent and unpredictable horn and siren blasts may play a role. Wish they'd planted bigger trees and more conifers. But yep - times they are a-changin' in ole Laff-Central.

I've always liked this park. I grew up close by, and I've always enjoyed the green area, and the…read morenice view of the Charles River. There's benches at the park too, so you can sit + stay awhile, and be comfortable.

Sort of a shady little outpost, but it opens up Land Boulevard a bit so you can see the river when…read moreyou're sitting in the frustrating traffic knot that forms here at rush hours. Not really so useful as a park to actually participate in, though. There's a big, multi-colored sculpture that's mildly annoying. Also, the quality of the turf isn't up to just lying around on. If you've got a dog and live in one of the neighboring brick condoplexes, Front Park is a good place to poop him. Otherwise, what do you really do here?

Remodel finished Jan 2021! It's very sleek and silver now…read more Lots of structures, seating, sand, and a water feature.

Clarendon Avenue Park is our second favorite park for our 1.25yr old. There's a massive climbing…read morestructure with parts good for toddlers and parts better for older kids. It sits in a giant sand area with a ton of toys that live in the park (including some excellent truck/car toys). The sand is in pretty good shape.... not too gross, but not the cleanest either. There's also a large circular pavement area with a good number of tricycles, push-cars, scooters, and other assorted vehicles for your kid(s) to push around. This area gets some good shade in the late afternoon, so it provides some nice respite on hot days. My biggest complaint of the park is that not enough people use it. Capt. K (my son) and I are often the only ones there. I don't know if this is due to the park abutting Mass Ave (so there is a lot of traffic going by) or if there just aren't many families that live in the area. However, if you go on a weekday from 11am-12pm, there are usually 3-4 daycares that converge on the park. But it can get a little too insane for Capt. K's taste. In short, if you can walk to this park, I would definitely add it to your playground repertoire, particularly as an afternoon spot. There are so many toys to play with, it's easy to kill and hour or two there.

Independence Square is a smallish park in the heart of South Boston's East Side. There's a small…read moreVietnam memorial in the center (the country's first), with paths leading there on the diagonal. There's also a playground for the kiddies. Before and after work, dog owners congregate. Below the concrete bleachers on the park's north side, Independence Square abuts the Lee Playground. It's a good place to get a little sun, to 'have a catch,' to watch people play with their doggies, or just to walk through in the evening.

I also love visiting this park to walk the dog(s). We call it the M street park and it is well…read moreknown as a dog-spot. Every evening you can find dogs off-leash racing around the park. While it is great to get the dog some exercise that involves me standing still, I'm not as big a fan of this park as the one by Farragut. The dogs are bigger, faster and a bit more aggressive. The owners tend to be more hands off. It is rumored that around 7pm is the 'little dog' time, something we've found to be true. The layout of the park includes lots of sidewalks - perfect if you're practicing walking on a leash, less perfect if your dog races up to strangers, strollers, bikers, etc. The fenced in area with the children's playground is always populated during the day and I love the view of the cruise ships at port.

Beautiful "pocket park" for young children and their grandparents!!! Love it!!! It's easy to…read morewalk to, and their beautiful playground slides, jungle gym, & other equipment are perfect for younger kids!! :)

This park is very family / community-oriented. There's something for everyone…read more I love the community garden and checkers / chess area. The perfect place to leave grandma or Grandpa while you take your tiny tot over to the play structure. Have older kids? There's a basketball court for them to run around. Have a dog? There's an area walking Fido. Want to sit in chat or nibble? There's an area for that. There's literally something for everyone. Initially wasn't too fond of the play area because it wasn't enclosed (it's an open-concept Park), however when you look at the bigger picture of the design you begin to appreciate it.